Chapter Text
A letter arrived for Mr. Riddle Rosehearts on a sunny afternoon. It was a lovely little thing: a crisp, white envelope perfumed with the scent of roses, his name embellished in a flowing silver script on the back. A dark green seal kept the envelope shut, the stamp’s design unfamiliar with the red-haired man.
Riddle glanced at the clock, debating if he should check the letter now or later. He mentally ran over his schedule for the day– just a few meetings with some officials from the Sunset Savanna in a few hours– and decided that reading the letter now would be best.
Cracking open the seal, he pulled out an equally pristine piece of paper. Riddle scanned over the text, eyes widening as he took in the letter’s message.
Mr. Riddle Rosehearts,
After many months of close collaboration, the Vanrouge Clan and the House of Rosehearts have reached a solution to the matter of their conversation, which is detailed in the next paragraph. The Clan thanks you for many months of hard work and dedication, and hopes that we will be able to work with you again.
The Vanrouge Clan asks if you are willing to be the husband of our heir as a way of merging the House of Rosehearts and the Vanrouge Clan. Both the Clan and your own house believe this is the most efficient way to join both families’ powers and work towards a brighter future.
If you are interested in this proposal, a meeting will be held by Sir Lilia Vanrouge to discuss further details at the Blooming Rain’s main gazebo on the seventh of September, XXXX, when the moon shines brightest in the sky.
We hope to see you there.
Irritation began to bubble up in Riddle’s chest as he finished reading, slamming the letter down and letting out a frustrated yell. An agreement reached by both the House of Rosehearts and the Vanrouge Clan… without the House’s heir present at the meeting? Riddle gritted his teeth as he took deep breaths to calm himself down, making a mental note to ask his assistant when his mother was next available.
“Mr. Rosehearts?”
The office door creaked open to reveal his assistant, big eyes blinking at him behind even bigger glasses.
“Yes?”
“Your mother wishes to see you, sir. I’ve come to tell you that I’ve rescheduled the meeting with the Sunset Savanna’s ambassador in anticipation that your meeting with your mother might take… ah, more time than expected.”
Riddle sighed. At least now he won’t have to wait to meet his mother and discuss the letter’s contents.
“Of course. Tell her I’ll be right there."
The assistant nodded and exited his office, leaving Riddle alone with the letter again.
Ambassador Rosehearts was an intimidating woman whose temper was known to flare worse than her son’s. Her office reflected the ambassador’s personality— cold and unwelcoming. And yet, her son stormed into the office without showing a single trace of fear on his face.
“Riddle.”
With a frown on her face, the ambassador produced a small watch from her desk drawer.
“You’re late.”
“My apologies, Mother. I was stopped by one of the assistants to tell me about my next meetings,” he lied.
The ambassador’s frown deepened.
“You won’t need to worry about those. I’ve already cleared your schedule for the next few days. Did your assistant not tell you about that?”
“No, she didn’t.” He wanted to ask why his schedule was cleared, but knew he’d be reprimanded for questioning authorities.
“Hmph, well, you’ll be taking over my duties temporarily, until the end of the month.”
Upon seeing the look on her son’s face, the ambassador continued on.
“The hospital sent another letter. I’m set to do another examination there. They are uncertain on how long the process will take, which is why you’ll be in charge while I’m away.”
“What about my other duties, Mother?”
“Your assistant can take care of that. They’ve been trained well, and have enough years of working for you to know what to do.”
Riddle nodded, although he wasn’t very reassured. His position as the ambassador’s son and secretary were hard enough— he wasn’t sure if he would be able to take on his mother’s position and face the challenges that came with it. His thoughts drifted back to the letter— another example of his mother forcing him to do things that he never agreed to prior— and looked back at her with newfound rage.
“I received a letter from the Vanrouge Clan earlier.”
“About the marriage? Yes, they were a bit late on sending that but it’s good to know you finally received it.”
Riddle narrowed his eyes.
“I don’t understand why I wasn’t informed of this decision before I got the letter, and also that you were meeting with the Clan without my knowledge.”
“What do you not understand?” His mother tsked. “A marriage is the strongest way of forming an alliance. I know you would agree if you were present with the meetings.”
Belatedly, Riddle realized that she was right. With his mind conditioned to think like a politician at such a young age, he really would propose a marriage alliance to secure the relationship between the families.
“I see,” he replied, his mouth stretching into a thin line. “If that is all, I'll return to my duties now.”
The ambassador turned away as her son left the room, closing the door with a final thud.